Much has been written about the origins of
the Polynesian people in general and the Tuvaluan people in particular. One of the
earliest records was the Narrative Of Missionary Enterprises in the South Seas by the
Reverend John Williams of the London Missionary Society published by John Snow, London,
1840. The observations made by John Williams are quite comprehensive and have not
been disputed to any significant degree subsequently. Williams makes the observation
that the physical confirmation, general character and Malay countenance of the people
furnished indubitable evidence of Asiatic origin. Williams also comments on the near
affinity between the caste of India and the tabu of the South Sea
islands. This affinity Williams contended related to such matters as the treatment
women received in Polynesia and Bengal, and with respect to a great number of games and
usages.

More decisive evidence is offered however
in the form of the correspondence between the languages spoken by the Malays and the
Polynesians. Williams observed that many of the words are the same, noting that the
Polynesians employ the Malay numerals with scarcely any variation. These are the
principal circumstances upon which Williams found the belief, that the copper coloured
Polynesians, and the various tribes inhabiting the Indian Archipelago, have the same
origin.

According to recent research by
archaeologists, the Polynesian people are derived from the so-called Lapita people who came
from South-East Asia and spread to Melanesia from the eastern islands off the coast of New
Guinea to New Caledonia, about 5000 years ago. The name Lapita comes from a place in
New Caledonia where large deposits of their pottery were found.

An example of the Lapita pottery found in
Fiji.

The Lapita people produced pottery
ornamented with distinctive tooth-shaped designs. About 3500 years ago some of the
Lapita people went from Vanuatu to Fiji, and from there to Tonga and Samoa. This is
known because some of their distinctive pottery has been found among the remains of the
earliest settlers in those islands. Later, the people in Fiji were joined by other
settlers from Vanuatu, but those in Tonga and Samoa were left alone to evolve in their own
way. There they developed the particular set of physical, social and linguistic
features which marked them out as Polynesians. From there, they set out to settle
the islands to the north, south and east, eventually coming to Tuvalu.

Linguists can trace the movements of the
Polynesian people by showing the relationships between their languages. Linguistic
research supports the findings of the archaeologists by relating the Polynesian languages
to the vast family of Austronesian languages spoken in Melanesia.

Exactly why the early settlers began
coming to Tuvalu about 2000 years ago is not known for sure. Some may have been
blown here by accident. Others may have come because of wars or famine in their home
islands, while others may have come in search of adventure. They travelled before
the south-east winds in large sailing canoes, possibly navigating by the sun and the stars
and observing wave patterns and birds to direct themselves towards land. It would
have been a hard journey. Many voyagers may have died on the way. But the
survivors though coming from lands with rich soil, adapted to life on coral atolls.